Hope -- It's In The Font, Not The Heart

MayorBob.

Posted to Diary on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 11:56:28 AM EST. RSS.

Mark this one down to there being no level of detail or irrelevance about presidential elections to which we won't stoop.  Steven Heller, writing in his New York Times, turns the spotlight from the irrelevance of bitterness and Bosnian sniping to irrelevance of another sort.  For all of us who are wondering whether there is some magic at play in the inexorable rise of Barack Obama, Heller gets to the bottom of what part has his campaign ad font played in all this.

Heller goes to branding expert Brian Collins for the hot skinny on fontgate.  According to Collins, Obama's choice of Gotham is just the right font at the right time:

"From the bold "change" signs to their engaging Web site to their recognizable lapel pins, they've used a single-minded visual strategy to deliver their campaign's message with greater consistency and, as a result, greater collective impact. The use of typography is the linchpin to the program."

To Collins, "political campaigns are the Brigadoon of branding" -- you have a limited window of opportunity to get your message across before everything disappears.  Therefore, it's essential that your message be done in a clear and consistent manner and typeface is key to this because "type is language made visible."

The thing about Gotham, to Collins is, "an oxymoronic quality to Gotham" making it cold and warm.  But, combine it with Obama's message of hope and change and it has a warmth to it.  That's more than you can say for what Courier does for McCain or Arial does for Hillary.